indigenous ceremony and traditional knowledge: exploring
TRANSCRIPT
Indigenous Ceremony and Traditional Knowledge:
Exploring their use as models for healing the impacts of traumatic experiences
by
Sheila A. Nyman
B.S.W., University of Victoria, 2012
A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK
in the Faculty of Human and Social Development
Sheila A. Nyman, 2014
University of Victoria
All rights reserved. This thesis may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy
or other means, without the permission of the author.
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Supervisory Committee
Indigenous Ceremony and Traditional Knowledge:
Exploring their use as models for healing the impacts of traumatic experiences
by
Sheila A. Nyman
B.S.W., University of Victoria, 2012
Supervisory Committee
Dr. Jeannine Carriere, UVIC School of Social Work
Supervisor
Yvonne Haist, M.Ed., Assistant Teaching Professor, UVIC School of Social Work
Departmental Member
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Abstract
Supervisory Committee
Dr. Jeannine Carriere, UVIC School of Social Work
Supervisor
Yvonne Haist, M.Ed., Assistant Teaching Professor, UVIC School of Social Work
Using Indigenous methodology and a story telling method this thesis is the result of
research that looks at the benefits of traditional Indigenous ceremony and healing
practices as a way to heal from traumatic experiences. A thematic analysis technique
was employed to reveal four themes that emerged from the stories told by Indigenous
Knowledge Keeper participants. The first theme is the importance of our connection
to all living things including our own selves. Another is recognizing our greatest
teachers nature and animals. Cleansing emerged at the center of all traditional
healing strategies and the final theme encompasses all that we are as life on this
planet spirit or energy.
Trauma can be understood as any event that creates difficulty for the individual to
cope whether the event that caused the experience was purposeful or accidental.
While people do find amazing ways to cope with circumstances that are
overwhelming, neurobiology tells us how trauma is processed and impacts the
workings of the brain. Trauma in the nervous system can be understood as the result
of a person or group or community’s inability to stay safe or to feel safe during the
experiences. Indigenous people live with the ongoing effects of intergenerational
trauma caused by colonization including the Indian Residential School experience, as
well as ongoing systemic oppression. All traumas can activate the deeply held
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traumas that have been transmitted trans-generationally. In essence we carry
intergenerational traumas. I believe that Indigenous people were practicing healing on
a regular basis within their traditional ceremonies, dances and practices before contact
and these practices may inform a model of health and wellness that could be useful in
healing the effects of trauma that impacts Indigenous people today. Ceremonies and
traditional teachings were shared communally before contact and are now being
revived as we embrace the cultural practices of our ancestors across this land. Within
our Indigenous ways of knowing we recognize that we are related to everything in
creation we are connected and depend on one another. In 1884, under the Potlatch
Law & section141 of the Indian Act our ceremonies, spiritual practices and traditional
knowledges were made illegal; our people were imprisoned for practicing them (UBC
First Nations Studies, 2009). Today we are in a state of desperation for healing
strategies that work for who we are as a people. The Elders in this research shared
how this can be done.
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Table of Contents
Supervisory Committee ............................................................................................................. ii
Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... iii
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................ v
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... vi
Dedication .................................................................................................................................. vii
Chapter 1 ...................................................................................................................................... 1 My Personal Location ........................................................................................................................ 1 Who Am I? .............................................................................................................................................. 2 Research Question: “Can Indigenous ceremony and traditions heal the negative impacts of traumatic experiences?” ............................................................................................. 4
Chapter 2 ................................................................................................................................... 17 The Approach .................................................................................................................................... 17
Chapter 3 ................................................................................................................................... 28 Methodology ...................................................................................................................................... 28 The Method ........................................................................................................................................ 30 Gathering the Information ........................................................................................................... 31 Participants ....................................................................................................................................... 33
Chapter 4 ................................................................................................................................... 37 The Analysis....................................................................................................................................... 37 The Perspective ................................................................................................................................ 37 The Knowledge Keepers ............................................................................................................... 40 The Stories ......................................................................................................................................... 40
Chapter 5 ................................................................................................................................... 52 Emerging Themes ............................................................................................................................ 52 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................... 63
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................. 65
Appendix 1: University of Victoria Ethics Board Application, Section I ................... 67
Appendix 2: University of Victoria Ethics Board Application, Section J .................. 68
Appendix 3: Participant Consent Form ............................................................................. 69
Appendix 4: Location of Long Houses ................................................................................ 75
Appendix 5: Long House Interior ........................................................................................ 76
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Acknowledgements
Huy Tseep qa Siem nu Siiya’yu (thank you my friends and relatives) …..I hold my
hands up….. to the ancestors of this land.
Lim ‘limpt (thank you) people of the Sunueymuxw Territory this beautiful land that I
am visiting, working and learning on, lim ‘limpt for allowing me to be here. Lim ‘limpt
to the Coast Salish ancestors and people of the Songhess Lekwungen and Esquimalt
Wyomilth Nations who are so generous in sharing their territorial lands with the
University of Victoria.
I wish to acknowledge the Knowledge Keepers who willing shared their wisdom and
stories for the purpose of this thesis, they are, Doll Barber (Marsel) the matriarch of my
family who is most commonly known by everyone as Aunty Doll, Victor and Joyce
Underwood, Gerry Ambers and Levi Martin.
I acknowledge Jeannine Carriere and Yvonne Haist for their guidance and support in
my pursuit of knowledge and the writing of this thesis paper. I acknowledge my mentor,
teacher and guide Aline LaFlamme (Many Buffalo Running) for the many years she has
remained as my traditional teacher. I would like to acknowledge the gentle teachings of
my Dene Elder, John Thomas, who is now supporting me from the spirit world….Lim
‘limpt for your wonderful teachings. My hands go up to the “Daughters of the Drum”
who generously supported Aline to bring her beautiful Pipe Ceremony to the University
of Victoria’s First People’s House to start my research in a good ceremonial way. I also
acknowledge all of my close family members including my spirit family for supporting
me on this journey.
All My Relations
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Dedication
I wish to dedicate this to my ancestors whose strength and wisdom has sustained me
all of my life, even when I did not recognize them. And to Aunty Doll who always
reminded me of where I belonged.
And to my Mom, Kay Davis and my sister, Marcy Pickell, who have survived with
me and to my brothers Leonard, Raymond, John and Norman who shared my early years
and who lost their lives way too young.
To all of my children who gave me purpose and who I love with my life……Moses,
Luke, Melissa, Christian. And to my “shirt tail” daughters Lisa, Tamara and Pam.
I dedicate this to my grandchildren Kristopher (lost to us but always in our hearts),
Cody, Will, Brigette, Sheila, Justin, Kyler, Keyanna and Sade and my great grand-
daughter Dessie (my soul medicine).
I have spawned a village………
Chapter 1
In the scars of my knees you can see children torn from their
families bludgeoned into government schools
You can see through the pins in my bones that we are prisoners of a long war
My knee is so badly wounded no one will look at it
The pus of the past oozes from every pore
This infection has gone on for at least 300 years
Our sacred beliefs have been made into pencil names of cities gas stations
My knee is wounded so badly that I limp constantly
Anger is my crutch I hold myself upright with it
My knee is wounded see how
I Am Still Walking
— “Not Vanishing” (Chrystos, 1988)
My Personal Location
Way7, my name is Sheila; my spirit name is “Stands Strong, like a rock, Bear
Woman” this name was given to me by my traditional teacher, Aline LaFlamme, upon
my completion of six “Spirit (Vision) Quest” ceremonies. I am a mixed Syilx (Okanagan)
woman from the Lower Similkameen in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. I am a
member of the Métis Nation of British Columbia, though I identify myself as Syilx. My
maternal two times great grandparents are Francois and Sophia Suprenant (Surprise) and
Louis and Elizabeth (Lizzy, Elise) Versailles (Marsel); their last names were changed by
the Oblates of the Diocese of Nelson, at the mission in Kelowna, British Columbia, in the
late 1800s. It is not clear to me why their last names were changed. My great
2
grandparents were Joseph and Julia Marsel, my grandfather is Fraser Marsel, my mother
is Lorraine (Kay) Marsel and my father was Lenard Nyman, a man of Swedish descent. I
did not know my paternal family until recently; my mother raised me until I was
apprehended, along with my five siblings, in what is termed the “Sixties Scoop”1 in
Canada. From age nine to fourteen I was moved from foster home to foster home until I
ran away to my ancestral territory, the Okanagan, just after turning fifteen years old. It
was 1969. My quest to find out “who I am” and “where I came from” began with a deep
sense of knowing that I am connected. I have been gifted with a sense that I am
connected to the past and the future in ways that I still cannot explain; I was drawn to
find myself by finding home in the land of my ancestors.
Who Am I?
It is through my experience and practice of Indigenous ceremony that I have come to
believe that a link exists between participation in ceremony and the energy moving
within my body. I have been learning, experiencing and practicing traditional Indigenous
ceremonies, initiations and links to my ancestral teachings/knowledge since 1994. I had
lost my way in life for a time and as a result found my way back by embracing the
spiritual traditions of my ancestors. I was fortunate to meet a traditional teacher who was
willing to mentor me in Indigenous knowledge and practices.
When you stop and do ceremony you literally clear your mind, your heart and your
spirit, the answers come freely to you (Joyce Underwood, 2014).
My life as a foster child in and out of various homes did not provide the nurturing
foundation I needed to graduate from high school and enter university in my youth. I
1 The term “Sixties Scoop” was coined by Patrick Johnston, author of the 1983 report
Native Children and the Child Welfare System.
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traveled a different path for many years, which is another story, not for this thesis. I
began university in 2008 to secure a degree in social work because of the versatility of
this degree. I was introduced to practices of processing trauma energies somatically and
the theories of neurophysiology in 2010 when taking a course in Trauma Work at the
University of Victoria. I had worked with trauma survivors as a counsellor since 1996,
trying to assist women leaving their lives of substance misuse and violence on the streets
of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and in other places. I studied counselling at the
Vancouver College of Counselling Training in 1995 and went on to develop a highly
successful program for women in recovery from using drugs and alcohol in Vancouver.
The programs were therapeutic living environments in homelike settings based on
empowering woman to learn to live using healthy coping strategies. By the time I
resigned in 2007, the society had three homes for women and four integrated programs.
Although these programs and homes were for women from all nations, the success came
from the foundation I was able to bring, which was based on traditional Indigenous
values and teachings, including “Moon Lodge” and the honoring of women as “Life
Givers”.
My desire to know more of who I am came as I increased my knowledge and practice
of our traditional ceremonies. As time went on, I was able to witness the benefits to
people who experienced the ceremonies. I wanted to know more about what had
happened in my family and what had happened to my people. This led me to want to
learn more about our history. My life journey has taught me that the best way to learn
about something is to immerse myself in it. I have now been working with Indian
Residential School (IRS) Survivors since 2003, first as an IRS National Crisis phone line
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counsellor and then as a Resolution Health Support Worker (RHSW). In my role as an
RHSW I provided emotional, physical, mental and spiritual support to former IRS
students and their families during all stages of the IRS settlement process, including the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission gatherings. Another part of my role involved
witnessing the individual stories at the compensation hearings; this is where I gained my
deepest understanding of what had happened to my people. This is where I felt the
ancestors, this is where I felt the incredible strength of my people in the face of their
disclosures, and this is where I became so proud of who I am and where I come from.
There is no doubt that the genocidal policies of the government of Canada to
assimilate the First People of this land is the root cause of the struggles and disparities in
health and well-being that Indigenous people are experiencing today. The implementation
of the Indian residential school system has damaged the strength of our family
connections; it will take intense and focused healing to undo the damage. When I think
about the numbers of government and church officials that it took to implement “the
plan” to “kill the Indian in the child,” and keep that plan running for over 150 years, it
makes sense that it will take us many years and resources to undo what has been done
and return our families to a place of balance.
Research Question: “Can Indigenous ceremony and traditions heal the negative
impacts of traumatic experiences?”
The research topic that I am exploring is Indigenous people’s experience of
Traditional Ceremony as a way to cope with the negative impacts of traumatic
experiences. Some of the theories that have influenced my thinking about this research
and my choice of topic and methodology are derived from my personal journey coming
into “my knowing” as an Indigenous woman as well as the work of Peter Levine (2010)
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and writings of Gregory Cajete (2000).
While taking the Trauma Work course in 2010, I was introduced to a practice of
tracking energy sensations in my body as a way to understand Levine’s theory of somatic
experiencing 2. Doing this meant to notice sensations in my body as they changed with
the experiences I was having. Learning this was based on the work of Levine (2010) who
states on his web site Somatic Experiencing. “Trauma is treated in the body not the
mind”.
“Animals, though threatened routinely, are rarely traumatized because trauma is
about the procedures the organism executes when exposed to overwhelming
stress, threat and injury. In response to threat and injury, animals, including
humans, execute biologically based, non-conscious action patterns that prepare
them to meet the threat and defend themselves. Some animals freeze on the spot
(opossum), while others flee (antelope), and still others will fight (bear). After the
threat is over, the animal then releases this “survival” energy. We see this
manifest in visible shaking and trembling. Once the animal has recovered its
balance, it can resume its normal functioning. As one wildlife biologist noted, if
an animal does not complete the process, it will not survive. It will die. Trauma is
a highly activated incomplete biological response to threat, frozen in time.
Trauma is physiological”.
I was intrigued, my knowledge and experience of Indigenous ceremony and traditions
resonated with Levine’s work. During this time I was invited to witness my first “Mask
Dance” at one of the “Big Houses” here on Vancouver Island. The Mask dance and Big
House are sacred ceremonies; I am not at liberty to give information other than naming
them. While witnessing the dance I practiced “tracking the sensations” in my body. I sat
and watched the dancers move in a circle while drummers drummed on the side. I
examined every detail of what they were wearing, what they were holding and what their
movements were as they moved continuously in a circle. I watched as they went around,
2 The theory postulates that the symptoms of trauma are the effect of a dysregulation of
the autonomic nervous system (ANS). It further postulates that the ANS has an inherent
capacity to self-regulate that is undermined by trauma, and that the inherent capacity to
self-regulate can be restored by the procedures of Somatic Experiencing.
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and around, and around, and around with the drumming steady, rhythmic, the shells held
in their hands rattled in time to the drums continuous, it seemed to go on for a very long
time. I noticed how eventually the sensation within my body became a steady gentle
pulse in time to the drums. I sat noticing this sensation allowing it to fill me, as I was
fully absorbed into the energy deep within my being, dream like. Then suddenly the
drummers began to drum vigorously, the dancers feet moved faster as they moved
around, the shells rattled louder I felt as though I had been startled awake though I was
not sleeping. I noticed what seemed to be a shift in the energy state within me, it was like
diving into cool water and coming awake, I felt alive, energized, my head and chest felt
clear, it was an amazing experience as I sat there with the sensation of tingling all over.
With this experience and the knowledge I was gaining about the theories of somatic
processing and energy work I immediately wondered if this was partly how my
Indigenous ancestors healed the impacts of trauma and other life events. I was so excited!
After ceremony you feel good like after a bath there is a good feeling you feel clean
and light (Aunty Doll, 2014).
I began to research within the community of Indigenous scholars and writers for
information about energy, ceremony and healing. This is where I discovered Cajete
(2000) who postulates that a native science exists though there is no word for science in
any Native language. In his book Native Science Cajete states, “Native Science is a
metaphor for a wide range of tribal processes of perceiving, thinking, acting and “coming
to know” that have evolved through human experience with the natural world” (p.2). He
goes on to say that as human beings we must become open to the roles of sensation,
perception, imagination, emotion, symbols and spirit as well as that of the concept of
logic and rational empiricism. In other words, connection, Indigenous people see
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themselves as connected to all things in creation. Rupert Ross quotes Jennie Leaning
Cloud a Lakota woman from the Rosebud reservation in North Dakota, “We Indians
think of the earth and the whole universe as a never-ending circle and in this circle man is
just another animal. The buffalo and coyote are our brothers the birds our cousins. Even
the tiniest ant, even a louse, even the smallest flower you can find, they are all relatives,
We end our prayers with the words mitakuyo oyasin “all my relations” and that includes
everything that grows, crawls, runs, creeps, hops and flies on this continent, White people
see man as nature’s master and conqueror, but Indians, who are close to nature, know
better (American Indian Myths and Legends, 1984).
The people from my territory, the Syilx (Okanagan), believe that:
We, the Syilx People, feel a deep connection with our land with our relatives, the
animals and the trees: the rocks and all living things that share the environment. Our
native nsyilxcan language grew out of our relationship with the land and the natural
resources that surround us. Our traditional stories reflect this deep connection and help
to pass cultural, spiritual and historical knowledge down through the generations (That
Which Gives Us Life, ONA, 2013).
Disconnection from ceremony, our spirit and ourselves is one of the reasons why we
are struggling with the skills to cope with the traumatic experiences that have become a
way of life for many of us. We have lost the ability to return to a place of balance. Our
ancestors used ceremony; it was a part of their daily lives. Cajete defines ceremony as
follows; “Ceremony is both a context for transferring knowledge and a way to remember
the responsibility we have to our relationships with life. Native ceremony is associated
with maintaining and restoring balance, renewal, cultivating relationships and creative
participation with nature” (p.70-71).
My personal premise is that one of the methods of care that may have been used
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before contact by the Indigenous people of this land is ceremony. Through this research I
explored some of the ceremonies that were used in the past and have been passed down
by Indigenous ancestors as sources for ongoing health and the renewal of well-being.
Experiences of trauma would have been a fact of life with the dangers inherent in living
and surviving in the natural world. In this research I have used an Indigenous
methodology using a storytelling / conversational method to explore traditional ways of
coping with traumatic experiences. I am investigating whether these traditional methods
can be revitalized and used for the purpose of addressing the mental, emotional, physical
and spiritual well-being of Indigenous peoples.
An issue that is of great concern for me that has impacted my life and my journey is
the lack of health and wellness for and within Indigenous peoples and our communities
across Canada. Today, 2014, it is well studied and documented that Indigenous people
are over-represented in health statistics over non-indigenous people. There are many
reasons for these facts uppermost are the results of the continued lived reality of
colonization, assimilation, racism and the government’s genocidal policies that have been
perpetrated against the people from the time of contact and one of the most damages to
health and well being includes the implementation of residential schools. The effects of
this today according to the British Columbia Provincial Health Officer’s report (2012),
compared to non-Aboriginal people are such that they live seven years less, diabetes is
triple, Aids / HIV deaths are double, alcohol and drug related deaths are 7 to 9 times
higher, psychiatric care and hospital care is 4 times higher, more than half of Canadian
prisoners are Indigenous, more than half of children in foster care are Indigenous and the
list goes on and repeats in every province across Canada.
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Upon contact, the people’s lives changed dramatically, massive loss of lives due to
disease brought by the colonizers devastated the people and their ways. Interruption of
their ‘system of care’ would have left the people without the collective support to cleanse
and renew their spirits. The continuous sharing of ceremony, honoring the land and their
connection to all of creation would have allowed the ancestors to ‘survive’ and cope with
the traumatic experiences of life before contact. Contact with European peoples was a
completely new ‘predator’ that was a threat to our very existence.
The settler colonizers did what they could to take all of the land and destroy
Indigenous lives in order to create economic expansions within vast territories. When
they realized that Indigenous people were not going away they created many laws and
policies within what is called the Indian Act. Under the Indian Act of 1867 our ancestors
were herded onto tracks of land, legislation was created to control the lives of the people
right down to who would be considered ‘Indian’ under their laws. With the power to
acknowledge who was and was not an Indian they put together a plan to remove federal
Indian status based in certain policy rules that impacted Indigenous woman or those
native people who left reserves. In the development of status and reserve systems, the
Indian act law removed any form of traditional leadership and governance along with our
gatherings such as potlatching, feasting, sundance, sweatlodge, long houses all of which
are connected to where our identities originate from. If a status Indian woman married a
non-status man, she and her children would lose their status. While the overarching intent
of the Indian Act was to take the land, the Colonizing settlers realized that their policies
were not effective in isolating native people to reserves, our ancestors fought to protect
the “Mother” our land. Settlers and their government began to look at ways to weaken
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our ancestors further and to do this they had to look at what made our ancestors strong.
They could see our connection to the land was reinforced within our ceremony and within
our connection to each other and our children. Episkenew (2009) states, “the fact that
policy makers fought to eradicate Indigenous knowledge and beliefs by eliminating
Indigenous languages and stories suggest that they understood their power” (p.8). Hence
colonizing settlers continued to develop policy to weaken and break the strengths of
Indigenous peoples. Episkenew (2009) terms these policies under the Indian Act ‘Policies
of Devastation’ where in 1884 a policy was legislated under the Indian Act known as
Section 141 the “Pot Latch Law”. Under that law, many Indigenous people were
imprisoned for continuing to practice ceremonies, it was also illegal for our people to use
and keep their traditional regalia. In the third section of the Indian Act, signed on April
19, 1884, it was declared that:
Every Indian or other person who engages in or assists in celebrating the Indian
festival known as the “Potlatch” or in the Indian dance known as the
“Tamanawas” is guilty of a misdemeanor, and liable to imprisonment for a term
of not more than six nor less than two months in any gaol or other place of
confinement; and every Indian or persons who encourages… an Indian to get up
such a festival… shall be liable to the same punishment.
As a result, many of our ancestors engaged in traditional ceremonies in secret, which
has resulted in a loss of connection to traditional ways, and ceremony for many of us.
Colonizing settlers recognized the strength we held in our collective Kinship systems
where everything we did was with the thought of the next seven generations. The
children were the strength of our communities; Elders taught that everyone had a place
within the collective community. As stated, “In the time of the Old Ones” (Nyman, 2013)
the Syilx people believe we are from the land, we have been on this land since the
beginning of humans living here; the teachings of our natural laws have been passed
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down orally through stories from one generation to the next. According to the writers in
“Who we are – Syilx laws and evolution” (2004-08), our Elders have told us that,
“understanding the living land and teaching our young generations how to become a 'part
of it' is the only way we, the Syilx, have survived.”
We have been taught that in the time of our old ones, before contact, every individual
within our community had a role and held a place of importance; we each had a job to do
that would contribute to the overall well being of everyone. In the book We Get Our
Living Like Milk From The Land (2000) Derickson, Maracle & Young-Ing write about
my people the Syilx of what is now called the Okanagan. They talk about the fact that
throughout Syilx Territory the care and wellbeing of the whole community was
paramount to our leaders, and that this required incredible organization and skills. Our
old people knew that if someone was lost then their role would need to be filled, so others
would be taught and then given the roles that were now empty, we understood the
importance of being ready to fill those roles. Babies were cared for up to the age of three
by the mothers of one or two familes in the community, this was their role. There was no
need for baby sitters, day care or for the moms to become overwhelmed with their many
tasks. This whole family of baby care people would work together to provide food, diaper
changes and all that goes into the care of the babies. Grandparents watched over the other
children up to about age eleven / twelve; they heard the stories, learned the songs, dances,
medicines, fishing, basket weaving, tanning, sewing, hunting, etc. and learned all that
was required to become healthy and skilled community members. Young adults stayed
with the aunts and uncles and learned how to perform their ‘specialized’ tasks so that
they could take on the role they would have in the community when it was time.
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Training started off with what was managable for their age and gradually got more complex
and harder as the child grew and learned. Never did our people use a heavy hand in teaching the
children, in this way they were eager to learn and take on more, they would build on each task
they became good at. Children could not fail, they learned through success, this was
encouragement to become good at all things with no fear of failure later.
Each child grew up learning about their importance to the community and their responsibiltiy
to their teachers and the other people within their community. They would learn this too from the
teacher mentors that guided them into the ways of communal life. Another of the Syilx laws is
that we are each responsible to everyone else in the community, each of us are a healthy part of
the ‘whole’ family. The adults had the responsibility to model and teach from the earliest age
that our actions are always connected to the others within the community. In this way we learned
that we needed to think about what impact everything we did had on our people, it was not OK to
hurt any member of our community. Our love, health and wellbeing was tied to each other, we
knew this with every fiber of our being before we became an adult. We understood our
connection to our family and extended family, our community, the whole nation and our land
which included every living thing on it. This too was the law of the Syilx people.
According to our oral history we did not have orphans because the whole family accepted the
role of teaching, loving and providing for every child. That way every child / person grew up
knowing that they had the right to family, teachings, security and love, no one was left out!
Including those not yet born! It was known that all Syilx people were important and must be
cared for. One of our most outstanding laws is to learn to live and work in harmony with
everyone, to share with the community. The story of turtle, ‘Cepcaptik,’ teaches us to think of
everyone not just ourselves as in a collective, To have more than others is to have power and
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control over them, the teaching is that, it is not OK to have more while others go without in the
family or community. People stay strong together, when there is plenty we all share it and enjoy
it, the same goes with hardship, and we face it as one. One heart, one mind! We are connected
with everything in creation and to each other; we are all a part of the circle. For our community’s
health and well-being we must keep the circle balanced. It is my understanding that these
teachings are very similar across many of our Indigenous Nations; we are all a part of the circle.
Colonization and the impacts of the Residential School have all but destroyed us.
In his article Aboriginal People and Education published in The Canadian
Encyclopedia Harvey McCue (2013) states, “Traditional education among most
Indigenous groups was accomplished using several techniques including observation and
practice, family and group socialization, oral teachings, and participation in community
ceremonies and institutions. With these methods children learned the values, skills and
knowledge considered necessary for adult life”. A strategic plan by the state was
developed to dismantle our way of passing knowledge to the children by removing them
and putting them in Church run schools in order to assimilate them into a western
mainstream way of living or more appropriately to “kill the Indian” in each and every
child. In 1863 the first Residential school was opened in Mission B.C. and this school
was also the last to close in B.C. in 1984. In 1920 the Indian Act was amended to make it
law for Indigenous parents to send their kids age seven to fifteen to Residential school
and if parents did not abide to this law, once again their lives were under threat of prison.
Prison threats were termed the governments’ aggressive policy to assimilate Indigenous
people. It is now known that the experiences of multi generations of Indigenous children
in these schools across this country was nothing less than a form of internment or jail,
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clearly the children were being kept as hostages to force control over the parents and
communities as a whole (Episkenew, p. 21-68). I have heard that in some villages there
were no children left! Can you imagine a community with no children? As stated earlier
Indigenous people lived their lives geared toward the next seven generations, without the
children it would have been hard to maintain a vision of the future and you can see this in
our lives today. The truth of what happened within the Residential schools is now
common knowledge; a picture of just how severe and long-term the impacts of the
residential school system is emerging. Based on her experience as one of the Truth
and Reconciliation Commissioners of Canada, Dr. Marie Wilson states, “High rates of
addiction and mental health issues are commonplace in Aboriginal communities, the
epidemic of suicide in many regions is an urgent and national crisis” (Rabble News,
December 6, 2012). She has little doubt these issues are related directly to "the
continuing trauma of having separated children from parents." These traumas
reverberate through generations. The effects of having been raised outside of the
home, without loving parents and often under brutal conditions, have left deep and
lasting impacts on the parenting capacity of many survivors. In my role as a
Resolution Health Support Worker I have heard many survivors state in their own
words “the thing I have greatest regrets about is the way in which I raised my own
children”. The high incidence of youth suicide rates in Indigenous communities is an
example of how devastating the loss of our identity and our connection to our
ancestral values of raising our children as precious gifts is.
The old ones were the wisdom, the knowledge and honesty (truth). Everyone knew
their function in the community each person had their role; everyone had a place
of importance (Victor Underwood, 2014).
15
My life has been directly impacted by the policies of the settler colonizers in this land
now called Canada. My great grandmother was taken from her family and put into the
residential school in Mission B.C. Like many other Indian women of that time she
developed a strategy of resistance to prevent her children from experiencing the same
fate, if she married a man from off of the reserve she would not have to surrender her
children. She married my great grandfather who did not have to live on reserve because
he was half French, he is identified in the Canada census as “French Breed”. She was
able to move off reserve and did not have to surrender her children to the Indian Agent
and Residential school. However, the children who came later were disconnected and
were moved further and further away from knowing and being who they are as
Indigenous people. These young people were unwelcome in both worlds as a result of her
action to protect her children and move away from the reserve, she also lost her status as
an Indian, which in turn did not allow her to return to her place and birthright.
Alcoholism, violence and sexual predator-ism took over her children’s ways of being in
the world. Rather than sacred teachings and traditional practices, the way of violence
began to be passed down generation to generation.
As a child lost in the system of the 60’s scoop I ran away and ended up on the streets
of Vancouver at the age of fifteen; I gravitated toward many unhealthy situations that
brought me to a turning point and I found the path of my ancestors and began to heal. My
great Aunty Doll likes to say, “Aw…Shee-ill-aaa…you finally remembered who you are”
(Aunty Doll, 1994). The dis-connection that happened is a direct result of the impact of
the policies under the Indian Act that have almost destroyed my family along with many
other Indigenous families and communities across this land. One of the questions I asked
16
myself when I began my ‘journey of healing’ was, “what happened in my family that
causes all of this dysfunction and trauma?” Jo-Ann Episkenew (2009) said it very well
when she said, “Today, multiple generations of Indigenous people live with
intergenerational post-traumatic stress disorder, which is the direct result of multiple
generations of colonial policies all focused on dealing with the “Indian problem” (p.9).
17
Chapter 2
The Approach
My professional, educational and life experiences have motivated me to want to
explore Indigenous people’s experience of traditional ceremony and healing as a method
to cope with trauma. I began by reviewing literature about traditional ceremony, healing
and insight into “spirit / energy” that was written by Indigenous Scholars. When I think
about healing trauma and the efforts that people are making today to heal, along with the
options available to them, I recognized that it is important to include mainstream
modalities of healing trauma that resemble traditional healing. I have looked at the work
of neurophysiology and trauma therapy and have drawn into my literature review
references of western therapies involving “Energy Work” for healing trauma. I will also
include material written by an Indigenous Scholar with a PhD in Counselling Psychology
who has specialized in working with Mental Health and Addictions. Dr. Rod
McCormick’s work and writing is valuable to my thesis work for setting the context of
the results of trauma unhealed. The connection between traumas, mental health and
unhealthy coping such as addiction is well documented in western terms but not in
spiritual and cultural terms as his work demonstrates. McCormick states, “Disconnection
from cultural values and traditions have led to a painful and meaningless existence for
many Aboriginal people who have turned to drugs and alcohol in an unsuccessful attempt
to deal with their anxiety and pain. The discovery of meaning and the resultant healing
for Aboriginal clients is being enabled through substance abuse treatment strategies that
facilitate reconnection to cultural values and traditions” (2000, p.25).
While interviewing Gerry Ambers, one of the Knowledge Keepers, as a part of my
18
research I learned of another piece of literature written from the stories of her mother’s
great Aunt Agnes Alfred (Qwiqwasutinuxw), a noble woman from Alert Bay, British
Columbia. Gerry referred to her as, “Granny Axuw” she gave credit to her for gaining
some of her knowledge. In particular, the wisdom her people gained from what the
animals taught humans. I bring this literature into my review as a link to Stories of
Indigenous Elders referencing the animal world as their teachers just as the now
renowned Peter Levine does in his discovery of Somatic Energy Work and his theory of
energy locked in the body due to traumatic experiences as evidenced in his study of
animals. The book Paddling to where I Stand (2004) is a written account of a renowned
Knowledge Keeper’s oral account of her memories and knowledge translated from her
language by her granddaughter. A similar piece of writing entitled Nature Power in the
spirit of an Okanagan Story Teller (2004), also written from the oral memories and
knowledge as told by an Elder Story Teller and Knowledge Keeper. Both of these pieces
of literature are accounts of experiences as told by two Elders who still have their
language. One of them is from my territory in the Okanagan, Harry Robinson, and one is
Agnes Alfred from Alert Bay. While their stories were not written for the purpose of the
subject of my thesis I have recognized the benefit of what the stories tell me. They are
rich and informative of the innate knowledge of Indigenous people of the realm of the
supernatural and metaphysical world that we are closely and naturally connected with. I
recommend that you the reader take the time to locate these invaluable writings of
knowledge and wisdom, read and you will discover so much more than an account of two
individuals lives. Without the authors who took the time to record and write the stories of
these Indigenous Elders down the teachings would have been lost when they both went to
19
the other side. For this I hold my hands up saying lim ‘limpt (thank you) I honor you for
your work.
The animals are our teachers….there was a time when humans and animals
understood and talked with each other. ….they taught us how to live (Gerry Ambers,
2014).
Literature Review
A modern western approach to explaining how trauma impacts nervous system
regulation is known as Polyvagal Theory, developed by Stephen Porges (2011). His
work, The Polyvagal Theory; Neurophysiological Foundation of Emotions, Attachment,
Communication, Self-Regulation is the result of four decades of research into the neural
regulation of the autonomic nervous system and is acknowledged as a work in progress.
Porges reveals new insight into the biological substrates of safety and danger, as
experienced in the autonomic nervous system. He describes three distinct physiological
states that articulate how we unconsciously evaluate safety and danger in our
environment. One aspect of these states is our “social engagement system” which enables
the felt sense of connection, trust and the ability to receive support from those around us.
Porges gives an understanding of what is happening in the body and brain when there has
been a disruption of the operation of natural functioning due to traumatic experiences.
Porges focuses on human biology, using the term neuroception to describe the
unconscious process whereby we detect safety, danger or life threat in our environment;
his polyvagal theory outlines the biological mechanisms that inhibit defensive responses
such as fight or flight and which, therefore enable social connection. He emphasizes that
responses to threat are reflected in distinct levels of survival strategies. By instinct,
humans are wired to, firstly, make attempts at social connection. If help can’t be accessed
20
in this way, the second survival strategies come online - we move to fight our aggressor
or to flee. The third survival strategy comes online if we are unable to protect ourselves;
this mechanism is to freeze or to collapse. All of these strategies are based in intricate
neurological and chemical responses in the brain, which either inhibit or facilitate
particular behaviors. It is the energy of a thwarted response, coupled with fear at the time
of the threat that results in ongoing nervous system dysregulation. Understanding
polyvagal theory can help humans to regulate their nervous systems back into a
comfortable state for living in the world. When we look through the lens of interpersonal
neurobiology we appreciate that the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma and other
mental health conditions can be responded to in ways that are more effective than
cognitive behavioral and talk therapies.
Polyvagal theory informs the work, in part, of Peter Levine (2010) whose ideas I will
use to inform the foundation of my understanding of somatic motor responses and energy
work. I believe I need some understanding of neurophysiology to help with my analysis
of what is happening during the experiences of ceremony and traditional healing rituals.
This knowledge helps to deepen my understanding of what may be happening for those
of us who practice ceremony and traditional healing for the treatment of trauma issues.
My intent in making this connection is to communicate that perhaps our ancestors knew
what western science is just beginning to accept as truth and therefore our traditional /
ceremonial methods of healing are more valuable than the accepted and available western
approaches, it is because of their loss that we remain disconnected from our spirit
strength / healing.
Our ancestors knew, they were doing this work long before others came here we are
masters at energy work, we can see how energy moves” (Gerry Ambers, 2014).
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Peter Levine PhD, developer of a modality of somatic psychotherapy called “Somatic
Experiencing”, in his book, In An Unspoken Voice. How the Body Releases Trauma and
Restores Goodness (2010) he brings together what has been discovered in the realm of
trauma treatment and somatic therapy over many years. Through his study and
observations of animals and their instinctual ability to re-regulate their nervous system
after traumatic experiences, he has complied a wealth of knowledge about the release of
these unprocessed, survival energies. Levine recognizes that the energy of survival
energy gets locked in the body and manifests in a host of symptoms including post
traumatic stress, where the body / mind can continue to try to re-enact the sequence in an
effort to attain energy release. He talks about helping people to learn to listen to the
‘unspoken voice’ of their own bodies and to feel their “survival emotions” without being
overwhelmed by the power of these natural high-energy states. Integrating the theory of
Porges (2011) on the neurophysiology of our polyvagal system Levine recognizes that
when we are traumatized our nervous system is in a highly aroused / chaotic or
disconnected energy state. According to Porges, experiencing events where someone
feels unsafe and is unable to protect themselves or to be protected causes an incredible
amount of energy to mobilize. When the arousal of this energy is such that it becomes too
much for our system to process, our organism’s way of preserving itself is for our
metabolism to shut down so that we no longer are using oxygen. This action causes the
energy to be pushed down; the trapped and suppressed energy is what causes
uncomfortable and/or painful symptoms within our bodies and states of confusion;
feeling overwhelmed and unregulated emotion in our body/minds. Fragments of sensory
memory are what is held back and is what needs to be released in a gradual way in order
22
for us to re-integrate our life energy back. As well, Levine proposes we need to complete
the thwarted defense response. It takes a lot of energy to hold the “fragmented energies
down”. We can’t really ‘live’ our lives fully because of expending so much energy to
dampen survival energies. I think this is what leads to depression and anxiety, numerous
medical health ailments, including diabetes, addiction and explosions of rage amongst
other problems for people who have undigested experiences of trauma (Levine, 2010).
Levine and other practitioners who do trauma work through the lens of interpersonal
neurobiology caution that the survival energy needs to be released gradually and in a
context where there is relational safety. Unfortunately many do not understand this. The
constant retelling of the traumatic experience so popular with mainstream therapists
brought in to work with our people just succeed in reactivating the sensations at the time
of the original traumas. As such people can feel more disconnected, chaotic or
overwhelmed when a story has been told.
Peter Levine’s work fits with my theory that before contact Indigenous ancestors
understood the nature of trauma and used ceremonial methods to release /to re-regulate
and to co-regulate their nervous systems. In An Unspoken Voice (2010) Levine speaks
about the spiritual component of who we are as human beings. He brings in the topic of
Indigenous people and their healing practices along with their wisdom and connection
with the animal world. Learning about tracking my body sensations following my
introduction to the work of Levine in my Trauma Work course and practicing it while
observing Indigenous ceremony has brought me to ask the question about traditional
models of health and wellness used by the people in pre-contact times.
23
F. David Peat (2005) is a non-native theoretical physicist who earned his PhD in
England; he was indoctrinated into mainstream science and thought until his worldview
was challenged when he experienced a Blackfoot Sun Dance ceremony. Blackfoot
Physics: A journey into the Native American Universe (2005) is an account of his
experiences and changing perspective about Indigenous knowledge and western science.
He writes a fascinating account of the intersecting of anthropology, history, metaphysics,
cosmology, quantum theory and ancient Indigenous knowledge and practices. He brings
together two worlds Western and Indigenous from the perspective of a western scientist.
He describes his experience in such a way that an incredible resemblance between
Indigenous teachings and some of the insights that are emerging from modern science are
revealed.
What interests me in bringing his work into my research is his explanation of a
“different worldview” he states, “Within the chapters of this book can be found
discussions of metaphysics and philosophy; the nature of space and time; the connection
between language, thought, and perception; mathematics and its relationship to time; the
ultimate nature of reality; causality and interconnection; astronomy and the movements
of time; healing; the inner nature of animals, maintaining a balanced exchange of energy;
of agriculture; of genetics; of considerations of ecology; of the connection of the human
being to the cosmos; and of the nature of processes of knowing (p.78).” This excites me
because he has articulated some of the connections that I sense between ceremony and
energy. His work is respectful and he honors Indigenous knowledge keepers throughout
this work including Leroy Little Bear, a well-respected Indigenous scholar from the
University of Lethbridge as one of his guides.
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Dr. Gregory Cajete is a Tewa Indian from Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico. As a
native educator he pursued his PhD and wrote, Science from a Native American
Perspective 1986 as his dissertation, he also wrote and published Native Science in 2000.
As the Director of Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico he now
leads the way in bringing ancient knowledge to the academy. Cajete was ahead of his
time when he first brought the idea forward that Indigenous knowledge is equal to
scientific knowledge. This book explores the nature of Native Science as participation
with the natural world. Cajete explains that, “to understand the foundations of Native
Science one must become open to the roles of sensation, perception, imagination,
emotion, symbols and spirit as well as that of concept, logic, and rational empiricism”
(p.2). He explores the links of Indigenous knowledges with what western science has
decided only they can know or that they know first. Cajete bravely brings forward the
fact that indigenous people are connected to the earth, the animals and the cosmos. He is
able to align and reconcile ancient beliefs and practices with modern mainstream science.
This book has informed my research and thesis by providing academic substantiation and
validation in the realm of Indigenous knowledges. Cajete explores extensively our
connections to the earth and all of creation; he defines “spirit” as “energy” and our path
to healing as re-connection.
McCormick’s (2000) journal article, Let only the good spirits guide you, explores the
relevance of culture when it comes to Indigenous people healing from traumatic
experiences, addictions and mental health. In his work he includes the historical reality of
the impact of colonization on the Indigenous people of this land including the
introduction of alcohol and its devastation to the ancestors’ ability to maintain their
25
spiritual connection to the land. McCormick acknowledges that the attempts of
mainstream counseling and helping services remain ineffective. He states, “Attempts
made by mainstream health service providers to assist Aboriginal people in recovering
from alcohol and substance abuse has led to only minimal success. He argues that
assistance measures taken by the majority culture to assist Aboriginal people have been,
and continue to be, misguided and counterproductive. For various reasons, Aboriginal
people tend not to use the services provided by the majority culture, and of those who do,
approximately half drop out after the first session” (p.26). He further argues that as
spiritual people we need to return to our connections with nature, our culture and each
other to heal from the impact that this has had on us as a people. “The aim for healing of
First Nations people, for example, is concerned with attaining and maintaining balance
between the four dimensions of the person: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
Western therapeutic approaches can be seen as imbalanced as they overemphasize one
dimension of the person by focusing, for example, on feeling or on cognitive
modification” (McCormick, 1994, p.28).
Paddling to Where I Stand, is a literary account of the memories and life of Agnes
Alfred a Kwakwakawakw woman from Alert Bay B.C. Her traditional name is
Qwiqwasutinuxw a noble woman, no one knows exactly when she was born because
birth certificates were not used for most Indians born in the 1880’s. However according
to Daisy Sewid – Smith (her grand daughter) within Grampa Moses records is stated that
she was born on January 26, 1889 if she had lived to her next birthday she would have
been 104 years old; she died in 1992. She spoke only her language and was a renowned
Knowledge Keeper for her people sharing stories and first hand accounts of the early
26
days up until her death. She was actually jailed during the times of the Potlatch ban for
participating in a potlatch. She recounts many stories of people transforming into people
of the animal world and the lessons they learn while in their transformed state.
Interactions between the supernatural world and the natural world could be understood
and accepted as metaphors or as real. No matter, what I can recognize that woven
throughout the stories are similarities to healing practices in use today. For example in
the chapter heading, Ceremonies and Rituals, she talks of a ceremony of purification after
a death of a close loved one. She talks of how her mother would purify by, “going into
the woods and bathing with fresh water for several days”. She talks of the dances that
would take place for the purpose of healing; there were dances for healing and dances for
many other purposes. Dances and songs for healing would not be utilized at the same
time each had their own purpose (p. 132). While the experience while at the dances is not
described by Granny Axuw, except for the description of some, reading about them
brings to my mind the energy experience within my body while witnessing the Mask
dance. Her stories and teachings are so profound that I can recognize how the people
would have benefited by the daily practice of this way of life.
So I went out into the forest and connected to the Spirit, the Ancestors (Levi
Martin, 2014).
In Nature Power in the Spirit of an Okanagan Story Teller Harry Robinson talks
about the spiritual connection between the natural world and we humans. Three books
emerged from the work of Wendy Wickwire over a period of ten years she recorded on a
reel- to- reel tape recorder devise stories as told by Elder Harry Story Teller. She has
written them in the style that Harry talked for the most part. Again my reason for
27
including this work into my thesis is for the richness and matter of fact-ness of the
teachings that emerge from the stories. Again I recommend that you, the readers, take the
time to read and really listen to the stories as they land in your heart and in your being. I
can recognize the weaving of teachings and information that can be integrated into
possible explanations for lost understandings of “our way”. Harry speaks of people
gaining their power to heal the sick after dancing and singing for a period of time at
dances held in the winter, “they go to a dance and sing, on the third winter they sing for
three, four days, three four night, and then the dance is finished, all over” (p. 135). He
describes how following the third year of dances the dancer gains a power to heal people.
Once again this demonstrates the importance of participation in our traditional
ceremonies for the development of gifts or talents that lay dormant. Harry relays the story
of a boy meeting his power animal when he is left in the woods by his uncle and father.
He describes how the boy thinks he is going to put a stick under a tree stump to tease a
chipmunk out and ends up meeting another boy. The other boy is the chipmunk, and tells
him that the stump is his grandfather (p.37 – 40). Once again here is an account of
lessons being taught to a human by an animal and a part of our natural environment. This
fits completely with our spirituality as Indigenous people we are connected to everything
all of creation. We must regain that connection in order to remember how to heal
ourselves and how to allow the natural world to heal us.
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Chapter 3
“When you’re ahead of your time, you have to create your own path”
(Cajete, Gregory. 2008)
Methodology
The methodology that I am using is Story Telling. Inspired by the work of Margaret
Kovach (2009) and Robina Thomas (2006) I chose a qualitative and Indigenous
methodology framework to investigate my research question. Kovach explains
Indigenous research as the study of Indigenous knowledges as methodology (Kovach,
2009). In her book Indigenous Methodologies Kovach puts forward the idea that from an
epistemology and ontology based on relationships an Indigenous methodology emerges
that encompasses a relational and tribal knowledge worldview, this can be achieved by
using a qualitative approach to gathering information (p.43). Indigenous values
(axiology) are based on a relational accountability of what is more important and
meaningful, which is to be accountable to ‘all our relations’ we believe we are connected
to every living thing and all of creation on earth, we recognize this connection in all we
do. In Research as Resistance (2005) Robina Thomas explains that, “traditionally, story
telling played an essential role in nurturing and educating Indigenous children (p.237).
Using Kovach’s epistemology of relations and connection (tribal knowledge) and
Thomas’s story telling method of receiving teachings I believe respect will be honored
with this framework.
As I compiled the results of my research it became clear that to understand the stories
of the Knowledge Keepers I would need to translate from my perspective in order to get
an answer to my research question. As I reviewed the literature and sought the answer it
29
became obvious that my lived experience and the knowledge I have gained had to
become a part of this work. How could I understand and interpret what the Knowledge
Keepers were telling me unless you the readers knew where my perspective came from. It
seemed it would be honest for me to integrate my story into this paper. I questioned my
self about this and wondered if my methodology of using Story Telling by gathering
stories from Knowledge Keepers included using my own story. I investigated this and for
a time thought that maybe I was using Auto-ethnography as well. I located work by an
Indigenous scholar from New Zealand named Dr. Paul Witinui. In Whitinui’s work
Indigenous Auto-ethnography (2010) he describes autoethnography as, Auto (self)
Ethno (culture) Graphy (writing). He talks about exploring, engaging and
experiencing self, as a Native method of inquiry. This resonated with what I quite
naturally was doing as I delved further into my thesis topic. He states, “Traditional
knowledge systems have been at the core of our existence as Indigenous people
since time immemorial. As an oral/aural-based society, our ancestors frequently
engaged in opportunities to not only test their knowledge at different times and in
different situations but also to recall knowledge through the art of story-telling”
(2013, page). What stands out for me here is amongst much of what he has to say is
that our ancestors used stories to “recall knowledge” through the art of story-
telling. I was able to get to the place where I realized that gathering the stories from
the Knowledge Keepers and weaving my own story throughout is my Indigenous
way of doing and coming to know, it is all a part of story - telling and a part of who I
am as an Indigenous woman from this land.
30
As I moved through the process of writing this thesis paper I have written about
myself, I have integrated my experiences at various points in my life into my writing in
order that you the reader can understand where my perspective comes from. I have
insider knowledge into Indigenous ceremony though my knowledge was gained later in
my life and I wanted to show that in my writing. Situating the self in the search makes
sense according to the writings of Absolon in Kaandossiwin (2011). She talks about the
importance to many Indigenous researchers of personal connections in the work of
research. She states that, “when we do research we are ultimately doing research about
ourselves, families, communities, nations, histories, experiences, stories and culture. Our
personal, familial, cultural, traditional and historical connections are evident in our
searches (p.74).” And this is truly how it has felt and came to be for me.
This framework is necessary because it has been difficult for research to explore the
nature of Indigenous healing for a variety of reasons one being the secret nature of
Indigenous ceremonial practices. The very reason for the survival of the practice has been
the secretiveness of the practitioners, as the actual ceremonies must not be revealed. This
researcher has been initiated into ceremonial ways and I was able to approach the
research in a ceremonial way using ceremonial protocols keeping secret the aspects that
do not need to be revealed. Ethical considerations in favor of this framework and
methodology are the respect for ceremony and ancient teachings that forms the
foundation and approach for the work.
The Method
Using Story-telling fits with the interpretive nature of this qualitative research and
Indigenous ontology. According to Brown and Strega (2005), “understanding the reality
31
of an experience or process or phenomenon is contextual and must be grounded in the
experience of those who have had the experience or process or phenomenon. Rich,
“thick” description brings a deeper, more complex understanding” (p.206). The intent of
this research is to find out how traditional Indigenous ceremony and healing feels for
Indigenous people who have experienced trauma. The rationale for this method is that by
listening to the ‘stories’ of how the participants experience ceremony to deal with trauma
I believe an understanding of the potential for a model of healing is revealed. This
method fits the population because Indigenous people by nature are ‘oral’ people. For
thousands and thousands of years we have passed knowledge from generation to
generation through story telling. I chose the method of story-telling because I believe it
offers respect and honor to the participant’s experiences. In conversation it is considered
inappropriate to ask such intimate questions of their experience as story-telling allows
participants to share what they want of their experience in the way they want.
Gathering the Information
The method of gathering the information (data collection) was achieved through
recording the story telling that took place during conversations with Knowledge Keepers.
I applied for and received authorization from the “Research Ethics Board” at the
University of Victoria. At the time of our meetings with my personal and verbal
explanation I also provided the explanation in writing. 3 I provided each participant with
a written consent form to sign if they were willing as well.4 The four participants were
asked to respond to six semi-structured questions that I believed would answer the
3 See Appendix 1. 4 See Appendix 3.
32
question, “Can Indigenous Ceremony and Traditions heal the negative impacts of
traumatic experiences?” They were each provided with a copy of the questions in writing
before our meeting and at the time of the meeting as well.5 The UVIC Research Ethics
Board brought my attention to the fact that I was interviewing individuals from separate
tribal nations and therefore they were a part of a community.
I will refer to the participants or people who told their stories as “Knowledge
Keepers” and “Traditional Healer” or “Elder” and sometimes “participant”
interchangeably because that is who they are and what they do. They have the gifts of
holding Indigenous knowledge therefore they can be viewed as one of our knowledge
sources. The research question is linked with ceremony; this was accomplished by
integrating the protocols of the individual Knowledge Keepers right from the beginning
of the interview. In keeping with my Indigenous methodological approach and using a
personal research protocol I spoke personally to each of the Knowledge Keepers. Given
our relationships it would have been offensive for me to send a third party to make the
request for their participation. I asked each of the Elders for direction of the protocol
within their respective communities for me to sit with them and gather the stories. I
specifically asked if I should consult with their Chief and Counsel for permission. Each
of my participants reacted to this question with surprise and stated that they had the right
to talk without seeking permission from anyone. One of the Elders in particular stated
that their chief and counsel did not respect or believe in traditional ways, he did not want
me to talk to them. Another of the Knowledge Keepers stated that she had permission to
share her medicines as she saw fit and was given the gift and right or license if you will
5 See Appendix 2.
33
to practice traditional healing. So all of the participants in this study represent and have
ownership of their own experience and knowledge. I will repeat here as well that I will
not be describing ceremony or traditional healing practice details in this thesis.
At the time of their agreement to participate I asked for direction of the protocols they
wished me to follow. I honor and respect these participants they are Knowledge Keepers,
Elders, Traditional Healers, Community members and my Teachers, for this reason I first
spoke to them about what I was doing and how I was doing it. I asked for their guidance
and their opinions of how I should proceed and followed their directions.
To ensure their comfort I went to the Elders homes with offerings of traditional
medicines, food, tobacco, olligan grease and home- made berry jam. The information I
sought is how the participants feel when practicing ceremony and if there is any effect on
their well-being emotionally, physically, mentally or spiritually. I firmly believe that the
results of this research study has the potential to contribute to the development of
effective Indigenous healing strategies for clinical approaches in social work from a
decolonization framework.
Participants
I invited three individuals and one married couple who are Indigenous people and
who have experience with traditional ceremony as well as knowledge of the impacts of
traumatic experiences to engage in story telling conversations / interviews with me as the
researcher. When I first began to conceive my approach to collecting data I wondered
how I would know the knowledge keepers to ask and where they should come from. I
knew instinctively that I needed to follow a spiritual way or a way that honored our
Indigenous knowledge. Keeping with a sacred way I would honor our sacred number
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four. It is my teachings that “four” is a sacred number, a number of connection and of
balance. On this Earth plane we have four elements Air, Water, Earth and Fire; four
directions North, South, East and West; four Nations represented by four colors Black,
White, Red and Yellow; and the list goes on everything is done in combinations of four.
Because I am located on Vancouver Island I intuitively knew I needed to respect the
ancestors of all three tribal nations here; the Coast Salish, Nuu chah nuthh and Kwakwa
ka wakw. For this reason I gathered stories from people who had ancestral ties to the
Island Nations. I also bring energy and knowledge from my territorial lands it made sense
to interview someone from my nation the Syilx (Okanagan) Nation as well. There was no
one better to interview than the matriarch of my family great-Aunty Doll, who is ninety-
six years old. She is the daughter of my great grandmother who was a well-known
“Traditional Healer” in the Okanogan Territories. While many of the ancient ways have
been lost to many in our family, Aunty Doll remembers, she is our record keeper. The
other participants are people who I know from the Traditional Healers / Knowledge
Keepers community here on Vancouver Island. I have shared ceremony with them and
received teachings from them while assisting them in ceremony. Each is well respected
and renowned for their healing work, wisdom and teachings that they carry. During my
time working with them at community healing gatherings I have discussed with them
what it is that I am doing and where my interest is, they have been very supportive and
encouraging of my interest to get our traditional healing recognized and better utilized.
Most of my work with them has taken place during events organized as a part of the
Indian Residential School Settlement processes.
The Traditional Healers / participants were informed about the nature of the research
35
and asked to respond to the question of “how they ‘feel’ ceremony in relation to the
effects of trauma” or “how the trauma they have experienced feels after engaging in
ceremony.” I investigated and informed myself of the protocols for each of their
respective Nations and followed their direction.
Data collection was achieved as I sat and listened deeply to the stories of the
experiences and wisdom that the Knowledge Keepers shared with me. I was taught the
skills of deep listening while sitting with Elders, I was instructed to clear my mind and
listen with my heart while sitting on the mountains in my Spirit Quest fasting. In
Blackfoot Physics (2002), Peat states,
“Out of the power of silence great oratory is born. When Native people speak they
are not talking from the head, relating some theory, mentioning what they read in
a book, or what someone else has told them. Rather, they speak from the heart,
from the traditions of their people, and from the knowledge of their land; they
speak of what they have seen and heard and touched, and of what has been passed
on to them form the traditions of their people. It is their inner silence that allows
them to listen to the prompting of their hearts and to the subtle resonances that lie
within each word of a language and which, when uttered, reverberate throughout
the world (p.75).”
With signed permission of the Traditional Healers the sessions were audiotaped. With
signed permission they all authorized the use of their names in this document as well. I
explained that I needed the recordings so I can listen again later rather than trying to
remember everything said in the moment. By paying attention in an open, perceptive and
interpretive way to the stories as they were told and then later as I played them back
facilitated the analysis of the Knowledge Keepers experience of trauma and ceremonial
healing. I listened for repeated themes and documented them into my results.
The questions were:
1. What do you know of ceremony of the ancients before contact?
36
2. Have you practiced Traditional Ceremony?
3. What happens in your body, mind, spirit and emotions when you practice
ceremony?
4. When did you first learn of Traditional Ceremony?
5. What sorts of trauma have you experienced in your life?
6. Have you used Ceremony for your traumatic experiences?
With every session I maintained fluidity with the questions by presenting them before
the meeting and allowing the participants in each session to speak to what felt right for
them. I listened and asked questions when they finished speaking if I needed to know
more about something they said. I am not including details about ceremony, personal
experiences, spiritual or sacred teachings that were revealed during these interviews. I am
writing only enough for the reader to understand the nature of what is said and how it
connects to the experience of ceremony and healing.
37
Chapter 4
The Analysis
My approach to analyzing the data or themes that emerged from the stories gathered
had a ‘meaning making’ quality to it. I employed a thematic process by grouping
common things that were said in response to the questions, I looked for themes that were
repeated throughout the stories. I listened to the taped interviews and transcribed the
responses. I then printed the pages and read through highlighting the common themes
with different coloured highlighting pens. The repeated themes were marked together and
the most common themes grouped and connected into a common understanding. The
Knowledge Keepers responses to each question have been laid out individually after the
questions. Under the Knowledge Keepers section I have provided an introduction to the
Elders with basic information about each of them.
The Perspective
My perspective is based on my life experiences in other words my story. As I stated
earlier in the beginning of my journey of healing I was drawn to and found the path
toward the traditional spiritual ceremonies of my ancestors. Instinctively I was drawn to a
healing circle for woman known as “Indian Homemakers” in Vancouver B.C. My first
circle was the most powerful experience I had ever had since that date. I was shy and
scared when I came into the room, fearful of rejection (I developed this fear as a foster
child). I remember how cozy it felt sitting there in the circle with other women. I felt like
a little girl again back home with my aunties. An abalone shell with dried sage was lit and
we all stood in the circle while an eagle feather was passed over the outside of our bodies
38
moving the smoke back and forth. It was explained to us that we were cleansing the
negative energies from the energy field around our body that is picked up as we move
through the world. I had never been smudged before and remember feeling such a calm
come over me, the smell of the sage brought back an overwhelming flood of memory. I
could feel myself in the room where I visited my great grandmother Julia when I was a
small girl. I was in the Okanagan in the old house on the land where our family
graveyard is. I could feel her so close to me in that moment and heard the sound of her
voice within me, though I did not understand what she was saying. Up until now, I
actually have never been sure if I heard or felt her voice. The eagle feather was passed
from woman to woman around the circle. Each woman said her name and talked about
herself and what was going on for her. I had experience talking within a group because I
was involved in woman’s self help meetings at the same time. I was used to saying, ‘hi
my name is Sheila.’ So I was surprised when I said my name with the eagle feather in my
hand and my chest felt like it broke open and the tears came flooding out uncontrollably.
My chest and throat felt like they were going to explode, it was like a dam breaking open.
It was then that I seemed to know things about my great Grandmother that I did not
know before. I was young when I last saw her; she died before I ran from the foster
homes. Because of this experience I was motivated to get in contact with my great
Auntie Doll, and when I did contact her, she looked at me with such a knowing look in
her eye nodding her head, “Aw…Shee….il….laaaa…you finally remembered who you
are” (Aunty Doll, 1994) this was the time I first heard those words. They will always
stand out for me, I am sure if you have ever received those kinds of teachings from an
Elder you will agree they are so simple, direct and clearly matter-of-fact. Auntie Doll was
39
able to confirm for me that my great grandmother was in Residential school and in fact
she was in the Mission Residential School, the first to open in BC. I was told how my
grandmother and another young girl ran on foot and walked from Mission as far as they
could to get toward the Okanogan when they were barely fifteen. There must have been a
reason for two young girls to endeavor to make such a journey on foot through the
mountains. The truth of the atrocities experienced at the residential schools is now being
made public; I think I can safely assume that my grandmother may have shared a similar
story. I was told of the medicine and support my great-grandmother gave to people, she
was a healer who was well known throughout the Okanagan territory.
The experience of memory from my grandmother that I spoke about having in the
healing circle was named when I was participating in an Indigenous Women’s Studies
course at Vancouver Island University. In the book A Recognition of Being Kim
Anderson (2005) shares what she has learned from Sylvia Maracle who explains that
many Native cultures teach that we carry the memories of our ancestors in our physical
being. As such, we are immediately connected to those who have gone before us (p.25).
Learning this provided a huge validation for me about the importance to continue
learning and practicing traditional ceremonies. Since then I have come to know that the
more I practice and learn traditional ceremonies deeply held memories and knowledge
becomes clear and enters my awareness.
The Europeans took our land, our lives, and our children like the winter
snow takes the grass. The loss is painful but the seed lives in spite of the
snow. In the fall of the year, the grass dies and drops its seed to lie
hidden under the snow. Perhaps the snow thinks the seed has vanished,
but it lives on hidden, or blowing in the wind, or clinging to the plants
leg of progress. How does the acorn unfold into an oak? Deep inside
itself it knows-and we are not different, we know deep inside ourselves
the pattern of life. – Eber Hampton
40
The Knowledge Keepers
Victor and Joyce Underwood are Coast Salish people from the Tsawout First Nation
of Saanich British Columbia. They have been married for over 50 years; I interviewed
them together and have combined their responses. Aunty Doll is a Syilx woman from the
Lower Similkameen in the Okanogan Valley of British Columbia (B.C.). Gerry Ambers
is a Kwakwaka’wakw woman from the Numgis First Nation in Alert Bay B.C. Levi
Martin is a Nuuchalnuth man originally from Opitshat on Meares Island and now living
at Esowista on Longbeach near what is now called Tofino (B.C.).
The three Vancouver Island Knowledge Keepers are actively involved in traditional
Indigenous healing work. All are Indian Residential School (IRS) Survivors who have
dedicated themselves to working with our people in the ongoing healing of the legacy and
the impacts of the IRS system. At almost ninety-seven years old Aunty Doll is known as
a “Record Keeper” throughout the Okanogan territories. She is a first generation survivor
of the Indian Residential School and daughter to a well-known and renowned Medicine
Healer of the Syilx (Okanogan) Territories, Julia Surprise (Marsel/Richter). All of the
Knowledge Keepers in this study are well respected and honored for the gifts they carry
and generously share with others and for who they are as individual Elders.
The Stories
1. Can you share with me what you know of the ceremony of the ancients before
contact?
Victor and Joyce – The four pillars of the Long House represented the “Old Ones”. The
teachings before Europeans were to live with “one heart one mind”. The old ones were
41
the wisdom, the knowledge and honesty (truth). Everyone knew their function in the
community each person had their role; everyone had a place of importance.6
Aunty Doll – Cleansing your soul…cleansing your body. My Mom always talked about
different things. If you have something bothering you…. you tell about it. You don’t
hang on to things. The whole family sweats together…don’t have problems left behind.
You don’t have things you are worrying about ….you can live your life. If somebody has
a problem right away you take care of it and this is good for the body. This is the way it
should be handled. Things have to be cleaned off and cleansed off as they happen. They
make you sick if you hang on to it.…you have to take it off right away, talk about it then
your mind is free. And you aren’t thinking bad thoughts; bad thoughts make our body
sick. It is good when you are thinking good things your body is good, healthy.
Gerry – There were animals that were gifted to each family as their protector or helper.
The animal world was recognized as their helpers. The relationship to the Salmon…the
first caught was put back. There was respect between the animal world and humans.
When I was a child we would go with the adults to harvest the olligan…. children ran
“amuck” while in the woods there was no fear that the animals would hurt us….it was
like a silent agreement existed that there be respect amongst the unseen world and animal
worlds. A mutual respect existed we learned from them and we respected the animals for
that. They are ways to behave with one another and how we treated the animal world and
all of creation.
Levi – That brings to mind right away what I heard the elders say …the most valuable
resources we have is our spiritual connection. We are the connection to the past, present
6 See Appendices 4 and 5: Victor’s hand-drawn diagrams of the Long House way before
contact.
42
and future. We can connect through the present to the past and to the future. Our
ancestor’s greatest gift was their connection to spirit. The teachings everything that we
do….like if someone wanted to be a warrior they would go to the forest and protect
themselves….even their enemy would be respected…everything was connected to a
spiritual practice. When I wake up I thank the air…air is one of the most important. I
come in and drink some water…. when the sun comes up that represents the fire. The
mother earth surrounds me and holds me. All of the elements…. are thanked…..
2. Have you practiced Traditional Ceremony?
Victor and Joyce – All through the years we participated strongly in the long house,
Canoe paddling, there are lots of teachings that involved living in a good way, healthy
food, being prepared. When playing Slahal (a game of guessing and memory) one must
prepare it is done in a respectful way even when you win! it is not good to brag if you
win. If you show off it means that you are up there and the other is down there. We have
to treat everyone evenly because next time you will be down there. Play the game and
then still be friends. We practice our culture, sweat lodge, smudging, and spiritual
cleansing in the water. Quatit (Spirit bath).
Aunty Doll – Sweats with the whole family, singing, leave your body free and clean.
Mom learned her song from her mother (Sophie/Colville) Indian language came from her
mom.
Gerry – I learned about the importance of paying attention to my dreams. Cleansing in
the ocean water, cold water, and cedar. Cedar bark for protection until we crossed into the
“supernatural world”
43
smoke from the hemlock to cleanse on the way into the big house….cleanse….floor in
the ceremony…eagle down….
When the animals come out it is to show the families this is who is here to protect you
…..these animal beings are the ones who will share their strength…the reason we have
the crest on our blankets is because we are acknowledging our teachers. …. the animals
are our teachers….there was a time when humans and animals understood and talked
with each other. …. they taught us how to live. We all had communities and we shared
knowledge. it was the time of the supernatural world….even supernatural beings were
connected….every village has these different treasures….these animal beings….why
people are still close to this world.
Levi – First time…I had heard that one of my grandfathers was a healer…..I wanted to be
like that. So I went out into the forest and connected to the spirit, ancestors. I sang to
them that I wanted to be like my grandfather……to be able to work with my people. I
didn’t get any answers when I was out there….nothing happened. But when I came back
people started coming to me telling me and showing me the things that we do for
healing…….
3. Can you describe what happens in your body, mind, spirit and emotions when
you practice ceremony?
Victor and Joyce – Before – maybe your mind is cluttered, racing, mind is turning all the
time for an exam or finances. When you stop and do ceremony you literally clear your
mind, your heart and your spirit, the answers come freely to you. de-stresses you. Talking
from the heart. In residential school we weren’t allowed to …we were taught not to cry.
If you can cry you can heal, cleansing. Spiritually it is a big lifting because you learn you
44
can talk about things. Clear…it clears and opens up that space in time…more
courage….more strength.
Aunty Doll – After ceremony you feel good…like a bath…there is a good feeling after.
You feel clean and light. My Mom was born in 1877, when she was 8 or 9 she went to the
Catholic Mission by horseback. They went to the Mission in Kelowna went to Pandosies
Mission. Her mom and dad…Father Pandozie gave her first apple. She has witnessed
ceremony…it is personal and you don’t talk about it. She has seen the ceremonies and
witnessed people who were sick become not sick and then years later. Spotted Lake
Medicine Lake, and hot springs near Similkameen. First how they knew about it was
because some Indians saw an old crippled up bear come along and go in the water and
hang around in the water for a couple days. After when the bear was leaving it was
walking normal and healthy, that’s how they came to know about it. They were watching
the bear and it showed them what to do. He went in crippled and came out good. G/grama
went there a few times and she brought the water back. It was used for an uncle to clear.
Hot Springs was bought by a white guy who thought he would make it better and he
ruined it. Orville Hot Springs does not exist anymore. Spotted Lake was purchased by the
Okanagan Alliance.
Gerry – Cleansing in the ocean water, cold water, and cedar. Cedar bark for protection
until we crossed into the “supernatural world”
Levi – A lady came to me and said we are going to be taking Reiki….I didn’t know what
Reiki was….I had never heard of it. I agreed to go…I took reiki level one…I found out
that reiki was the very same thing that our ancestors did …it just had a different name. In
our language we call it Pluupa…you know like hands on. Life force….channeling the
45
energy….
nnywasum….to go and sit and be quiet and listen…when they uppsir…become one…we
get our answers in silence…it means you have to be quiet and go inside and listen…not
just animals also plants….to nature. Ask a question then be quiet….listen. One time it
was really stormy. I was thinking that gee it was a miserable day…nature was doing what
it needed to do…because of everything that we do….we create pollution so nature needs
to do its work to cleanse the earth…the message I got at the time we to become one with
nature to be cleansed…..with the water and the wind…..connect with nature ….the peace
and the serenity. The storms and the weather was nature doing her work…. cleansing the
earth…cold, wind, rain, snow, intense sun…she has to be harsh because of what we are
doing to her.
In circle some healing was being demonstrated. Some pain came into the healer when
healing but this is just for us to know in order to work on someone else. Another pain felt
belonged to someone else. The healer is being lead.
4. When did you first learn of Traditional Ceremony?
Victor and Joyce – After I left residential school ….Joyce when she got married.
through the long house. Victor’s mom and dad took him down into the states. They still
weren’t allowed to practice in the 60’s. In the summer time…when away from residential
school they were taken to the long house to learn traditional ways. They were told in
residential school that their family was over there and they would point to images of
hell….and then they would point to images of heaven and tell the kids that this is where
they wanted to send them. Joyce expresses how most of the kids didn’t want to go there
anyway because their relatives weren’t there. She remembers hearing a story of some
46
Day School kids that were told by the nuns who had the school close to where a Big
House was that the nuns would point to the big house and tell the kids that their family
members who went there were going to hell to burn because they went in there.
Aunty Doll – Great Grama….her mom. smudge……when the old ladies came to see her
they went in to a room by them selves….we could hear them sing. When she heard there
was dancing going on she would know…she wanted them to stay away, it was illegal
then….they hid it then.
Gerry – The understanding of how we look after ourselves was taught to us while we
were young. There is a relationship with the animal world…there was respect that they
fed us…there is a respect Granny Ahouu….there were stories of how to behave. There
were stories about mink who always got into trouble….teachings….grandmother on my
mom’s side was a mid-wife.
Cleansing….after each person that is worked ….the hand movements are cleansing the
hand movement are moving energy toward the fire….always wash…..always with cold
water…always clean…always the surroundings clean it off …..watching her hands I see
her doing hand movements as thought she is moving energy away from her. Very big
stress on clean self…cleaning homes….it’s all about the energy…without saying those
words….our ancestors knew this ….they were doing this…
There are many teachers….many circles….some of the old people…..those that were
not Christianized……can share…the stories…..
Levi – When I was a kid….watching…listening….observing …my father……it was like
they had me facing my back even when I was a baby…over the years I still feel this. At
that time they were going to bring me up as a warrior or strong man. So they were going
47
to bring me up that way but residential school interrupted that. Born into
ceremony….IRS 7 years…drew him out of it. Told over and over again that the ways of
the people were wrong. The ways of the Catholic Church was the only way. The peoples
way was wrong…weren’t allowed to talk about it. The family that stays together prays
together…he would worry about his father. Our church is wherever we are…what we are
connected to. We offer up everything we do….offer everything you do in a day as a
prayer…everything that I do is a prayer. Offering a cup of coffee is a special prayer in
itself….when I go out and see a stranger and smile…that is an offer….sharing and
connecting with another. I don’t need to sit and say certain words….live a prayer…..live
in prayer.
after losing his way for a time …went to a sweat lodge…first time…never been
before….while in there things started to come back to him from his youth…..traditional
knowledge…..he began to practice them again. The more he practices the more he
knows….the more he remembers ……it is also about the future…we are the future
ancestors….we are connected to the past and to the future.
The animals are the ones that are sent……when I was going to residential school.
One of the things they were saying was that creator or god sent an angel….we have
animals sent. Sasquach….my father told me about this couple that went out into do a
spirit quest….they went for years….on the new moon. 4 days…4 nights….they built a
cabin a shack and they would stay there and do their spiritual ceremonies….at night….his
wife was inside the cabin doing her prayers her ceremony….rest during the day….for
years…no messages…this time the husband said this will be our last ….they had a ladder
there was a hole through the roof….
48
Practice and use your gift with honour and respect. If you receive it and then tell
about it you will loose it. Use it with humility….we don’t share it. There is one plant in
the wilderness that will hold onto that gift for you. When you need to do things that you
think is beyond your capabilities you can go to this plant. Receive with honor and respect
and humility, then and only then will you retain it. If you talk about it you can loose
it….if you try to impress others you can loose it.
5. Can you describe or talk about what sorts of trauma you have experienced in
your life?
Victor and Joyce – Joyce’s mom died when she was very young and was at the mercy of
mean step moms, and was at the mercy of relatives that were drinking. She was in the
hospital a lot and actually felt safer in the hospital.
Victor – had to keep their feelings in. When he lost his dad they had to keep their
feelings inn- this lead to a lot of drinking. Shortly after their Dad passed they began to be
able to practice again so they were able to mourn their mom when she passed.
Aunty Doll – Just like everyone I have many losses in my life. Dad died when I was
small. I have seen lots
Gerry – As most people I have experienced sexual and physical abuse….the first healer
was the natural world….I would find this old big rock and sit on it and cry and cry….it
was like the rock reached its’ hands up to me and held me…so when I left that rock I felt
good….that was my first healer and my first healing….nature…each time something
happened I would go back to that rock…
Levi – Sacred pool…cleansings….there is relief after we using ceremony….but then
sometimes we invite it back….by doing the same things…..
49
6. Can you talk about whether practicing ceremony has helped you deal with your
experiences of trauma?
Victor and Joyce – In 1989 they began to deal with problems using traditional ways, it is
a journey. Now when hard times hit, how do you deal with it. Prayer, song, family song
is the most powerful. Celebrate what they have rather than focusing on what they don’t
have. Stopping to say thankyou.
Victor – Brothers and sisters when there is lots going on…then family step in to help.
The family unit is there for all. Unwritten law…family steps in for them. “Nuts’amaat
shqwaluwun”….every one work together.
Aunty Doll – After ceremony you feel good…like a bath…there is a good feeling after.
You feel clean and light. 1877 great grama was born. When she was 8 or 9 she went to
mission by horseback. They went to the mission in Kelowna. Her mom and dad…Father
Pandosy gave her first apple. She has witnessed ceremony…it is personal and you don’t
talk about it. She has seen the ceremonies and witnessed people who were sick become
not sick and then years later. Spotted Lake our medicine lake, and hot springs near
Similkameen. First how they knew about it was because some Indians saw an old
crippled up bear come along and go in the water and hang around in the water for a
couple days. After when the bear was leaving it was walking normal and healthy, that’s
how they came to know about it. They were watching the bear and it showed them what
to do. He went in crippled and came out good. Great grama went there a few times and
she brought the water back. It was used for an uncle to clear. Hot Springs was bought by
a white guy who thought he would make it better and he ruined it. Orville Hot Springs
does not exist anymore. Spotted Lake was purchased by the Okanagan Alliance.
50
Gerry – I was a young woman when I learned of different healers and went to different
healers from different traditions….they shared their teachings with me….I do
brushings….cleansings….
When someone comes to you for brushings…what do you notice from them after.
They always feel lighter ….they feel lighter not being aware of what they are
carrying…they always come away feeling better….I take things off of them….I work
with the spirit….I only go as far as they can go….lifting a bit at a time….or sometimes
there is something deeper and it is wanted to come out…the spirit is ready to release
it….I can feel if it is ready to go…it can be very dramatic with vomiting…crying…
We call on the spirit world to ask what this person needs…it is not based on what we
learned in a book …not based on ego and mind….we are guided….by spirit….that is how
we are trained and as indigenous people….we have an indigenous psychology….it does
not go by what some book says…but what the person’s spirit says….
Sometimes it feels like we are always waiting for them to catch…they insist on being
the experts….we have to jump through their paradigms that do not suit our reality. Our
ancestors knew…they were doing this work long before others came here ….we are
masters at energy work…we can see how energy moves…..
Levi – Energy is life…energy is the spirit…..many cannot see it…but when we are
connected we feel it….connecting to the higher self.
Four powerful elements are….. fire, water, earth, water….not one can sustain life by
itself….not one can work by themselves…they need to connect they all need to work
together….what connects these four elements is spirit…energy holds it….
51
One thing that comes to mind is a healing workshop…. asking me to do cleansings….
they were talking about the different sicknesses our people have now….they talked about
the food that our people were eating was causing them to become diabetic. You know the
ceremonies that we do…when the negative energy…from bad experiences…. we could
do the same thing with our food. And the things that we drink…we can cleanse our
food….just by thinking of it while focusing on our intent.
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Chapter 5
Emerging Themes
As I read over my notes and reflected on the teachings I had been given through these
conversations the following themes began to emerge. Each has been itemized and
expanded with further comments from the Knowledge Keepers.
Connection. Each of the Knowledge Keepers talked about the importance of connection.
Right away in response to the first question, “what do you know of the ceremony of the
ancients before contact” the Elders spoke of family, community, helping one another,
every member has a role, equality, and respect for each other, every member of the
community or family shared not only in the harvest but also in pain. Victor stated,
“families supported one another through “unwritten laws” if one member was down or
hurt another stepped in for them “Nutsa’maat Shhwqwal iwun” which is Halkomenum
(Coast Salish language) for being as one, all working as one. The teachings were to live
with “one heart, one mind” the Old Ones were “ the wisdom, the knowledge and honesty;
everyone knew their function in the community, each person had their role. Victor’s
diagrams of the Long House (appendices 4 and 5) show how several families lived
together each having their own section or place along the perimeter, the four pillars were
the “Old Ones” the floor was sacred, everyone learned and shared together. One is careful
to not brag or get carried away with their ego because this behavior meant that you would
be making yourself better than others or above them.
Aunty Doll talked about the whole family in the Sweat Lodge together, problems
were talked about and “let go of” or taken care of right away as they happened. Her Mom
53
learned her song from her Mom and it was shared when others in the community came
for healing even though this was done now behind closed doors. My great grandmother
was afraid because the ceremonies were illegal she didn’t allow her kids to go the Winter
Dances though they continued to happen in secret others in the community continued to
practice together. Connection also involved the animal world and as long as humans
respected them they respected humans by sharing their strength and survival wisdom.
Gerry talked about when humans got quiet enough they could watch and learn from
the animals who showed themselves to them, but only when respect was shown for all of
the beings that lived in the territory. Communities in turn shared knowledge that included
knowledge they gained from the “super natural world” which was connected as well to
every community in its own way as long as life was lived with respect for all of creation
that surrounded them.
Levi talks about the connection to spirit and how it is our most valuable resource.
And how the Ancestors greatest gift was their connection to spirit. Something that really
stood out for me was when Levi said, “we are the connection to the past, present and
future” we can connect through the present to the past and the past to the future, these are
very powerful words. Our ceremonies are not lost no matter that we couldn’t practice
them for a time they are still here within our memory. I believe my experience of “blood
memory” is evidence of that along with many others who discover that they “remember”
something that was never taught in the western conventional style of learning.
When we “re-connect” to the earth our Great Mother and all of creation and practice the
ceremonies of our Ancestors upon her, we return to a place of balance with the natural
world.
54
Cajete (2000) states,
Ecological communities revolved around practiced relationships at multiply levels
of personal, family, and community life. The child born into this web of
relationship first experienced the ecology of tribal community with the mother,
father, and extended family; later this learning extended to include clan and tribe.
In the natural environment that formed the backdrop for all relational possibilities,
the child learned the multiple roles of family, clan, plants and animals and the
special place in which he lived. These roles were not haphazard; they mattered to
the survival of the community and to the continuation of the special relationships
the community had established with its particular part of the natural world (p. 98).
Levi talks about the four powerful elements fire, water, earth and water making the
connection that not one can sustain life without the other. These elements need one
another in order to work, they need to connect and work together and what holds them is,
“spirit,” and spirit, is “energy,” that is what holds them together. The term “all my
relations” is our way of acknowledging and showing respect for our connection to all
living things.
Cleansing. The idea of cleansing ones body, mind, spirit, and emotions is mentioned
again and again it has earned its place as a theme. Emerging throughout the stories and
conversations with the Knowledge Keepers came descriptions of how important it was to
perform rituals of cleansing in a variety of ways. Victor and Joyce mention sweat lodge,
smudging and spiritual cleansing in the ocean and river water or having what is called
“spirit baths”. As a reminder I am not going to write about details of the ceremonies of
cleansing, if you want cleansing you will need to seek the help of a Traditional Healer.
Joyce says before a ceremony your mind might be cluttered, racing, your mind is turning
all the time for an exam or finances when you stop and do these ceremonies it will
literally clear your mind, your heart and your spirit, answers will come freely because it
de-stresses you. Stress can be felt as unreleased energy in the body often from a traumatic
55
experience. This energy continues to try and release itself; this is what causes problems.
When we feel stressed it can be hard to function in the world for many of us. Another
cleansing is releasing tears Victor states that, “in residential school we weren’t allowed to
cry” he goes on to say that if we can cry we can heal because it is cleansing. Spiritually
we are lifted and can talk about things, we are clear, a space in time is opened giving
more courage, more strength.
Aunty Doll talks about cleansing the soul; cleansing the body she learned different
things from her Mom (Great Grama). Aunty Doll states, “if somebody has a problem
right away you take care of it this is good for the body, this is the way it should be
handled. Things need to be cleansed off as they happen; they make you sick if you hang
on to it you have to take it off right away. Then you talk about it and set your mind free,
you aren’t thinking bad thoughts; bad thoughts make our body sick. It is good when you
are thinking good things your body is good”. According to Levine the need to protect
oneself trauma may cause an incredible amount of energy to be mobilized. If this energy
cannot be discharged through mobilization and if, instead our systems of defense are
thwarted we move into a state of paralysis or tonic immobility. This causes our
metabolism to shut down so that we no longer are using oxygen. The trapped and
suppressed energy is what causes the tensions, discomfort and often painful symptoms
within our bodies and thought process’s (Levine, 2010). Fragments of sensory memory is
what is being held back and is what needs to be released in a gradual way in order for us
to re-store our vitality. It takes a lot of energy to hold the “fragmented energies down” we
can’t really ‘live’ our lives fully because of expending so much energy to keep it down”.
The more I learn the more I think this is what leads to depression, numerous medical
56
health ailments, including diabetes, addiction and explosions of rage amongst other
problems within my community. Aunty Doll says, “After ceremony you feel good like
after a bath there is a good feeling you feel clean and light”.
Gerry also talks about cleansing in the ocean water, cold water and cedar. Cedar
grows plentiful on Vancouver Island and is regarded as a sacred plant and used for many
things by the people of all three tribal nations here and in many other locations where it
grows. Smoke from burning Hemlock is used to cleanse for people as they walk into the
Big House (ceremony house). Gerry cleanses after each person she works on with the
smoke from burning sacred plants. In reference to some spirit dancing Gerry states, “the
hand movements are cleansing. The hand movements are moving energy toward the
fire….always washing the energy in the air…..always with cold water…always
clean…always the surroundings clean it off,” While Gerry is saying this I am watching
her hands I see her doing hand movements as though she is moving energy away from
her in a slight circular pattern. She talks about there always being a very big stress on
cleaning oneself and cleaning homes. When Gerry does healing brushings or cleansing on
someone she states that she notices they always feel lighter, often they are not aware of
what they are carrying though they always come away feeling better. She states, “I take
things off of them, I work with the spirit, I only go as far as they can go, lifting a bit at a
time”.
Levi talks about the relief that is felt after using ceremony and the importance of
cleansing. A lady approached Levi inviting him to join a group to learn about Reiki.7
7 Reiki is a healing technique based on the principle that the practitioner can channel energy into
the patient by means of touch, to activate the natural healing processes of the patient's body and
restore physical and emotional well-being. Reiki energy can also be worked with energetically,
without touch. Reiki has its’ roots in ancient healing traditions in Japan.
57
He states, “I found out that Reiki was the very same thing that our ancestors did, it
just had a different name. In our language we call it Pluupa, you know like “hands on”
life force channeling the energy”. Levi also talked about the cleansing that nature does
because of all that we do to pollute the Mother Earth. Levi had an experience and he
describes it like this, “I was thinking that gee it was a miserable day…nature was doing
what it needed to do…because of everything that we do….we create pollution so nature
needs to do its work to cleanse the earth…the message I got at the time was to become
one with nature to be cleansed…..with the water and the wind…..connect with nature
….the peace and the serenity. The storms and the weather was nature doing it’s work….
cleansing the earth…cold, wind, rain, snow, intense sun…she has to be harsh because of
what we are doing to her”.
Animals and Nature. It is well known the affinity that First People share with the animal
world, our artwork, and ancient carvings, totem poles - the list could go on and on. It
makes sense that this would be another reoccurring theme the natural world it is woven
throughout the conversations and repeated in reference to almost every one of the
questions asked during the interview process. Victor and Joyce talk about the closeness of
the ocean to the village as though it was animate and a part of the community. They also
shared a great reverence for the medicine that the animal world shares with them as gifts
to facilitate the healing work that they do. This ties in with the connections that Cajete
(2000) makes about the animal world, “each animal is seen to possess certain special
qualities and powers that they may share with humans if they are properly treated. Given
this view, animals inspired the lifeway of Native cultures” (p.151).
58
Aunty Doll talks about a well-known Lake in the Okanogan that has healing
properties. She tells the story of how some of the ancestors witnessed a bear that was all
crippled up walk into the lake and hang around for a couple of days. When the bear left
they noticed that the bear was walking normal. The Old Ones knew to watch the animals
to learn from them, watching and learning from the animals is how we have survived they
have shown us how and where to heal ourselves.
Gerry very clearly talks about the gifts that the animal world shares with the people
she describes how particular animals would show a family that they were there to protect
them, to share their strength and to show them how to live. Her Nation honors this by
designing images of the animals and making a Crest of the particular animal on their
blankets, the animals are being acknowledged as their teachers. Gerry states that there
was a time when humans and animals understood and talked with each other they showed
the humans how to live. Gerry describes the natural world as the first healer, she talks
about how she was naturally drawn to a big rock when she was alone and hurt, she would
go there and just cry and cry she felt like the rock just reached it’s hands up to her and
held her so when she left the rock she felt good, that was her first healer and her first
healing; nature. She went back whenever she needed help.
In Blackfoot Physics, Peat (2002) states:
Elders tell stories of a time when humans and animals could freely talk together.
This era has long passed, but the two-legged are still able to communicate with
animals in their dreams and many Native American people talk to rocks and trees.
Before the coming of the Europeans who knows how extensive that
communication between all aspects of nature may have been (p. 119).
Levi talks about the animals and the natural world as our teachers as well. He
describes going into the forest to gain the spiritual strength that was needed for the task
59
he was to face. He would go there and connect with the ancestors, to spirit, he would
watch and listen, he describes listening with his heart his very being. It was very
interesting that Levi related what was taught to him by the priests and nuns in residential
school of how God sent an angel and how for Indigenous people Creation sent the
animals. The animals are our teachers, we emulate them and there is much evidence of
that left by our Indigenous ancestors.
Spirit – Energy. The importance of cleansing was mentioned numerous times during the
interviews both in the context of ceremony and health and well-being what we have not
talked about yet is what we are cleansing. Victor and Joyce talk about doing “brushings”
the brushing of ones “energy field” that surrounds their body. Using a variety of the gifts
from nature and animals such as a cedar branch or feathers and sage (sacred plant
burning) smoke a person is brushed off usually inches from their body. Another
technique they use is song and drumming it seems to lift people up and give a good
feeling.
In response to the question about what happens in the body, mind, spirit and emotions
when practicing ceremony Aunty Doll right away states, “what I tell my people is it starts
with the head, think positive. It starts here you got to think and keep clear, think positive!
You’ve got to!” She talks about people just giving up because of allowing themselves to
become overwhelmed in despair but if they had over the years thought positive it would
have cured them. Positive is a term that describes energy. She also talks of drumming,
singing, rattling and dancing as therapies that were used to maintain well-being.
Gerry says it’s all about the energy without saying those words our ancestors knew
this they were doing this all the time. Gerry was given the name “the Copper that sits in
60
the Basket of the Wild Woman” this name was given to her at a family Pot Latch the
name has been in her family for a long time. It is with honor that she carries this name as
it had previously belonged to a healing woman with it a dance was given to her along
with the right to practice healing work. When Gerry is brushing people off she says, “it is
energy and sometimes there is something deeper and it wants to come out the spirit is
ready to release it, I can feel if it is ready to go. It can be very dramatic with vomiting and
crying. We call on the spirit world to ask what this person needs it is not based on what
we learned in a book not based on ego and mind we are guided by spirit that is how we
are trained and as indigenous people we have an Indigenous psychology it does not go by
what some book says but what the persons spirit says.
Levi says energy is life, energy is spirit many cannot see it but when we are
connected to it we can feel it when we are connecting to the higher self we can feel it.
The gifts of healing must be practiced with honor and respect. Levi states, “Practice and
use your gift with honor and respect. If you receive it and then tell about it you will loose
it. Use it with humility we don’t share it. There is one plant in the wilderness that will
hold onto that gift for you, when you need to do things that you think is beyond your
capabilities you can go to this plant. Receive your gift with honor and respect and
humility, then and only then will you retain it. If you talk about it you can loose it if you
try to impress others you can loose it.
When you need to do things that you think is beyond your capabilities you can go to
this plant. Receive with honor and respect and humility, then and only then will you
retain it. If you talk about it you can loose it if you try to impress others you can loose it”.
This is all about energy, Levi says its all about the energy, prayer is energy, live your life
61
in prayer. Passing a stranger and smiling is passing energy, good energy it comes back to
you.
My analysis:
In conversation with Gerry Ambers at the time of the interview she said, “Sometimes
it feels like we are always waiting for them to catch up they insist on being the experts we
have to jump through their paradigms that do not suit our reality. Our ancestors knew,
they were doing this work long before others came here we are masters at energy work
we can see how energy moves” (Ambers, 2014). As Indigenous people we hear things by
feeling it we have been gifted with many internal resources to heal ourselves.
I have witnessed stories of the experiences that people who have attended many of the
residential schools have had and heard about the impact on their lives. Health Canada
provides therapeutic counseling to former Indian Residential School Survivors; many do
not wish to attend sessions with the counselors who are made available because most
offer mainstream models of support. I have witnessed people gravitate to the energy
brushings, sage smudges, drumming and other ceremonial healing activities that are
available to them. I have witnessed people who refuse the government funded healing
options such as the mainstream therapists for visits to our Traditional Healers ceremonial
brushings, healings with Drumming, Rattles, Chants, Singing, Brushings of Hands,
Sweat-lodge, Winter-dance, Big-house and Sundance ceremonies etc. Ceremony creates a
social space where there is a felt sense of safety and connection. Porges and Levine
clearly identify the importance of social engagement as an integral step in returning our
nervous system to a more regulated place within our central nervous system. Ceremonial
space creates an energetic quality of social engagement, which helps people to mobilize
62
energy. The dorsal vagal state is shifted out of immobility to mobility ceremony restores
movement that has been frozen. An example could be the sensations of tingling all over
such as what I described in my experience while witnessing the Mask Dance ie: tingling
within the central nervous system reflects a shift in a neural state from immobility
(freeze) to mobility.
Engaging in the ceremonies of our ancestors connects us to our ancestral memories as
we practice ceremonies to heal ourselves we will remember how to heal ourselves. I have
witnessed people who did not grow up in community with their family as a result of the
devastation put upon us as Indigenous people who have learned to weave cedar. To their
surprise they all of a sudden could weave the most beautiful cedar hats and other items;
this is ancestral memory coming forward. I have witnessed people drumming and begin
to sing songs in their language that they did not know or hear previously. I have
witnessed people begin to dance the dances of the ‘Old Ones’ spontaneously at certain
places on the earth. If we organize the space to support our traditional healers working
with us eventually more and more of our people would remember the path to their own
personal healing. The funding of mainstream programs to heal the issues that impact
Indigenous people just does not make sense. We need to encourage the development of
healing places and opportunities to learn ceremony. In a Recognition of Being, Kim
Anderson (2000) states, “Reconstructing a sense of the sacred and a sense of purpose into
our lives and communities will validate our existence as individuals and will teach us to
value the lives of others” (p.237).
63
Conclusion
Because of colonization we lost our way for a time, we are slowly finding our way
back to our indigeneity. Our identity is recovering and we need to find ways to
honor the journey that we have been on. The Indian Act was implemented in 1876
on this continent to control the Indian and ease or force assimilation of Native
people into the dominant culture. The experience of our ancestors was that daily life
and spiritual practice was conducted simultaneously and it was through this
connection that we remained strong.
Our traditional healers are trusted because of our shared bond of living with
trauma; I feel hopeful and excited to be living in the time of our moving forward in
the world of this dominant culture, no matter that we live with this legacy we have
come to a time where our ancient and powerful teachings are being resurrected.
Many Traditional Healers gathered in Vancouver to strategize ways of integrating
our healing practices into mainstream medical services. The First Nations Health
Authority (FNHA) is currently completing the “Models of Traditional Wellness: A
Review of Canadian, American and International Practices”. In summary the
research carried out clearly indicates that countries are shifting away from a
dependence model that relies solely on western medicine toward a model that
allows people to take ownership for their health using a multidisciplinary approach
to health. Jackson (1999) further notes that “spiritual wounding” is of special note
when treating First Nations children. Jackson, the Assembly of First Nations (1994),
note that for treatment to be successful, “it needs to be more holistic, evolving
around the being of each person. This includes treatment to address the physical
64
being, the mental, emotional, and spiritual aspects of the person, as well as the
harmony between each of these and the environment. First Nations healing often
requires individuals to transcend the ego, rather than strengthening it as western
therapies aim to do. No matter what we have been through or what we are carrying
deep within, each of us has an innate knowledge and awareness about “energy” even
if we are not able to verbally articulate it. Aline LaFlamme, traditional teacher
teaches that we are born with seven natural healing powers they are talking,
laughing, crying, singing, dancing, yelling/screaming and shaking (LaFlamme, 2014).
All of which achieves the result of moving energy in our bodies. We need to
remember who we are and our connection to our ancestors. We need to return to
our ceremonies like the people of old gathering together and continuously cleansing
the negative impacts as humans living on the earth just as our animal relatives
showed us. Can we put aside the internalized racism instilled in us through the
residential school experience and colonization and look to the ceremonies passed to
us from the Old Ones for healing ourselves. Western ways of healing need to be
integrated as a compliment to “our healing models” as opposed to the other way
around. The first line to healing must be to return to a place of balance and
connection; we just need to remember how. I am left with a curiosity of what the
results of actually tracking an individual’s journey of healing using various
Indigenous ceremonial practices would reveal. All my relations
65
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Appendix 1: University of Victoria Ethics Board Application, Section I
Title of Project: Can Indigenous Ceremony/Traditional Knowledge Heal the Impacts of
Trauma?
Section I – Recruitment Materials
Script – in person
My name is Sheila and I am Syilx from the Lower Similkameen. You now know that I
have come to the point in my studies to be a master level social worker and am preparing
to write a thesis. As a part of my research for my thesis, I have a question to ask you. I
am offering you this tobacco in the way of the Okanogan people as a token of my respect
for you. I am listening to stories about the effects of practicing ceremony and traditional
healing for the purpose of healing from the impacts of traumatic experiences. I would like
to sit with you and ask some question about your experience of using your traditional
ceremonies and how you feel they benefit you or not. I will sit with you so that you can
tell me what you want in response to the question I pose in the way that you want. It will
take about two hours of your time and will take place where you are comfortable. I of
course will come to you so that you will not have to travel out of your home. Do you
think that would work for you? If not, is there a location that you can suggest that works
better for you? If it is ok with you I will be recording our conversation because I want to
make sure what I write down is accurate to what you say. I promise that the tape will be
destroyed once I am finished my writing. I have a consent form that I will ask you to sign
if you agree. Does all of this sound ok and do you have any questions? All my relations.
68
Appendix 2: University of Victoria Ethics Board Application, Section J
Title of Project: Can Indigenous Ceremony/Traditional Knowledge Heal the Impacts of
Trauma?
Section J – Data Collection Methods
Interview Questions:
1. What do you know of ceremony of the ancients before contact?
2. Have you practiced Traditional Ceremony?
3. What happens in your body, mind, spirit and emotions when you practice
ceremony?
4. When did you first learn of Traditional Ceremony?
5. What sorts of trauma have you experienced in your life?
6. Have you used Ceremony for your traumatic experiences?
69
Appendix 3: Participant Consent Form
Title of Project: Can Indigenous Ceremony and Traditional Knowledge Heal the
Impacts of Trauma?
Researcher(s): Sheila A. Nyman, Graduate Student, Masters Degree Thesis, UVIC School
of Social Work, Phone: 1-250-618-6247, Email: [email protected]
Supervisor: Jeannine Carriere, UVIC School of Social Work, Phone: 1-250-721-6452,
Email: [email protected]
Committee Member: Yvonne Haist, UVIC School of Social Work, Phone: 1-250-472-
4133, Email: [email protected]
Purpose(s) and Objective(s) of the Research:
The purpose of this research is to look at the benefits of traditional Indigenous
ceremony and healing practices as a way to heal from traumatic experiences.
This Research is Important Because:
This research may have the potential to contribute to the development of effective
Indigenous healing strategies for clinical and therapeutic approaches in social
work for dealing with issues of mental health, addictions and other manifestations
of the symptoms of traumatic experiences.
Participation:
You have been selected to participate because in your life you have gained
knowledge of experiences of trauma and you have gained the skills of traditional
ceremonial practices and teachings. You will be asked to speak from your own
experiences, no others. The wisdom you have will contribute to this research.
70
Participation in this project is entirely voluntary.
Whether you choose to participate or not will have no effect on your position as
an Elder Knowledge Keeper, Traditional Healer, Cultural Support, or how you
will be treated.
Procedures:
Method: Interview and story sharing
Research activities: The interview will be AUDIO recorded for the purpose of
supporting the investigator’s memory and destroyed once it is written into story
and approved by the participant
Duration: Approximately 2 hours
Location: Participant’s home or where the participant chooses
Compensation:
A traditional offering of tobacco and cloth to honor the Elder Participant, along
with food and refreshment.
It is unethical to provide undue compensation or inducements to research
participants.
If you would not participate if the compensation were not offered, then you
should decline.
Benefits:
Participant – will benefit by contributing to the validation and further acceptance
of traditional ceremony and healing methods for Indigenous people and their
well-being
71
Society – will benefit from the addition of another way to heal from traumatic
experiences
State Knowledge – long misunderstood Indigenous Ceremony and Traditional
Healing will be recognized as positive approaches for working with people
affected by traumatic experiences
Risks:
You may feel fatigued, stressed, emotionally activated (triggered) or you may
become mentally uncomfortable
Risk(s) will be addressed by: If you become stressed, tired, uncomfortable in
anyway we will stop. Before we begin the interview we will talk about what you
need in the event of any of the above mentioned responses and I will have
available and ready what it is that you need (e.g.,ie: cedar, sage, sea water, water,
traditional medicines and another traditional healer who can be called in to
support if you desire).
Researcher’s Relationship with Participants:
The researcher shares a relationship to you as your former traditional ceremony
support and helper in various communities in and around Vancouver Island
The researcher values this relationship. To help prevent this relationship from
influencing your decision to participate, the researcher encourages you to NOT
participate if you have any discomfort or doubts for any reason if you participate.
Withdrawal of Participation:
You may withdraw at any time without explanation or consequence
Should you withdraw at any time, your data will be completely destroyed
72
Continued or On-going Consent:
The results of the information you share may be used in future by this researcher
exclusively for ongoing investigating of the benefits of Traditional Healing
By signing this consent you are agreeing to her including these results in potential
future studies
Anonymity and Confidentiality:
Participants will be identified by a pseudonym or a made up name will be used
where requested
If you wish the researcher to use your name and information you will be “waiving
confidentiality” by signing below that you agree that you consent to be identified
by name / credited in the results of the study and that you consent to have your
responses attributed to you by name in the results
Storing and Disposing of Data:
Data will be stored in a locked file. Computer data will be kept password
protected
Location of storing data: Researchers home at 1985 Mollys Way Gabriola Island
BC
Data will be destroyed once the information has been written into the Thesis
document
All written material will be shredded and AUDIO recorded material will be
destroyed with the tape in an environmentally safe way
73
Research Results Will [May] be Used/Disseminated in the Following Ways:
Thesis/Dissertation/Class presentation
Presentations at scholarly meetings
Published article, chapter or book
Directly to participants and/or groups involved. Indicate how (e.g., report,
executive summary, newsletter, information session):
Questions or Concerns:
Contact the researcher(s) using the information at the top of page 1;
Contact the Human Research Ethics Office, University of Victoria, (250) 472-
4545 [email protected]
Consent
Your signature below indicates that you understand the above conditions of participation
in this study and that you have had the opportunity to have your questions answered by
the researchers, and that you consent to participate in this research project.
Name of Participant Signature Date
A copy of this consent will be left with you, and the researcher will take a copy.
Waiving Confidentiality
I consent to be identified by name / credited in the results of the study.
I consent to have my responses attributed to me by name in the results.
______________ (Participant to provide initials)
74
Future Use of Data
I consent to the use of my data in future research: ______________ (Participant to
provide initials)
I do not consent to the use of my data in future research: ______________ (Participant
to provide initials)
I consent to be contacted in the event my data is requested for future research:
______________ (Participant to provide initials)
75
Appendix 4: Location of Long Houses
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Appendix 5: Long House Interior